Someone asked me today why I blog. Aside from the self-improvement opportunity where this forces me to examine my own credos, this also gives me a chance to pass on a legacy. As one of netta's entries stated so eloquently, this may be a voice from the past to some future generation.

This is also a chance for me to lead by example. I've said before that the Democrats appeal to the head, the Republicans to the gut. Fear will move crowds far faster than appeals to logic. The counter to this is to think, to never stop thinking. When someone yells for you to panic, ask why.

The trick is to recognize the call to panic. Most of the time, it's cloaked in something. This is where thinking comes in again, to see what someone wishes you to do in response to hir words.

Some people call this 'presence.' It's not the same as 'presence of mind,' to stay calm in the face of chaos. It's to 'be present,' to not be distracted. As I once said, I have 2.5 billion seconds on this plane, barring tragedies or other statistical outliers. A friend called it mindful.

I want to show my readers not just what I think, but how and why. I want to abstract that into process so I don't discuss a single topic or interaction for itself, but as a way to illustrate a way to think about either that group of topics, or, better yet, a way to think about the world in general.

Not The Way, just a way. One of my warning lights is when someone claims to have the inside track on The Single Truth. I speak of a truth for me, one that may work for others. I would think that it would be beneficial for others to try it, to try other perspectives. I do it often, as much as my wee mind can handle.

My first goal is to not stop thinking, not stop looking for opportunities to learn. My next goal is to not stop looking for opportunities to teach.

I should probably figure out where "apply it to my life" fits in there.